Thursday October 16th, is Dictionary Day! To celebrate this unique day during October Book Month, we wanted to increase the garden vocabulary terms of our leaders and students. Please feel free to use the following basic list of terms as a resource for your classroom. Amending – Means to repair your soil quality by adding in…

[vc_separator type=”” size=”” icon=”star”]   This featured “Classic” by Linda White is timely for the fall season for pumpkin carving. The book tells a lively story about Rebecca Estelle’s dislike for pumpkins. Rebecca embarks on a journey that gives her a greater appreciation for gardening, community, and the special seasonal squash! Enjoy reading or following along with…

DIY: Paper Pots for Planting Do you enjoy crafting, recycling, and planting? Use these 10 easy steps to create a paper pot for planting! Newspaper is compostable; be creative and resourceful when you watch your plants grow. Fall is a great time to plant spring bulbs, pansies, trees/shrubs, and cool-season vegetables (examples: broccoli, carrots, chives,…

[vc_separator type=”” size=”” icon=”star”] Do you like apples? Do you like apple pie? As a part of National Book awareness month and Apple Month, we wanted to feature a story that incorporated both. Bring Me Some Apples and I’ll Make You a Pie, by Robbin Gourley, is a wonderful short story that focuses on gardening,…

Meet Pat Ryan Meet Patrick (Pat) Ryan, a new guest blogger! He is the Education Specialist for the Alaska Botanical Garden in Anchorage, Alaska. Ryan took the Junior Master Gardener Specialist training in College Station is 2003, and started the JMG program for their Garden in 2004. The officially passed the 10-year mark of their program…

The Smith County Master gardeners had a display at the East Texas State Fair, called Agriworld 2014. This year, they concentrated on several areas including: water conservation, pollinators, the Smith County Master Gardener Program, and the Junior Master Gardener Program. Check out some photos from their JMG exhibit! What a simple, but interactive way to…

  Thoughts:  This time I wanted to suggest something very simple (as far as materials go, anyway). Contour drawing is an exercise to develop eye, hand, brain coordination while carefully observing your subject.  Today we’ll do a modified version so that more students can experience some success.  This goes back to a project I wrote…

By: Melissa Hodde Melissa Hodde is a Master Gardener from Seneca Falls, New York. Hodde shares her story about South Seneca Elementary’s involvement with the JMG Wildlife Gardener curricula. Future or current project leaders read below and be encouraged! Transplants for the garden Our Junior Master Gardening Project started with the suggestion for an after school…

We see them growing on trees. We have them in our cafeterias. We buy them cheaply at our grocery stores. We give them to our teachers. We can use them in sweet AND savory dishes. We eat them to keep the doctor away. What is this magical produce? APPLES! Nutrients Apples are economically good for…

Nature has a beautiful ability to stimulate peace in those who surround themselves in it. Most know that they love being outside, but they do not understand the depth of why. There is a psychological response to nature. We all have a need to connect with nature. Although wonderful, one may not have a large backyard,…